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A Florida state trooper has pleaded guilty to federal charges for his alleged participation in a drug smuggling ring that spanned the east coast. Twenty-nine year old Justin Kolves was charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute for aiding a group that smuggled massive quantities of oxycodone from Florida to Connecticut. According to the Hartford Courant, twenty individuals were charged, including another police officer and three Transportation Security Administration officers from airports in Florida and New York.
Kolves apparently traveled to Connecticut three times last year to serve as a bodyguard for an oxycodone drug dealer during illegal drug transactions. For his services, Kolves was compensated $3,700. Connecticut U.S. Attorney David Fein stated, "This defendant, a sworn law enforcement officer, took cash from a known drug dealer to assist in the illegal transport and sale of highly addictive oxycodone pills.” Kolves has since resigned from the Florida Highway Patrol.
Over the summer, Florida began a widespread crackdown on the “pill mills” that had made the state infamous for prescription drugs. The crackdown, as well as indictments like the one just leveled in Connecticut, will put the responsibility on doctors to help control prescription drug abuse. Florida has a history of some doctors prescribing addictive painkillers to patients that do not need them, which could amount to medical malpractice.
Many patients have been victims of doctors’ offices where physical examinations were not performed and controlled substances were prescribed in excessive dosages and potentially fatal combinations. If you or a family member has been prescribed powerful a painkiller like oxycodone and has experienced an injury or overdose, you may be entitled to file a claim with a medical malpractice attorney to seek compensation for lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering.